Previewing Reggie Williams for 2011-12

Finally, a Bobcats shooting guard who scores and does it efficiently. Reggie makes threes, and takes them regularly. His shot distribution may change somewhat from Golden State to CLT, but that’s what he was brought in for.

Strong with the ball – a 10 in turnover rate

Reggie Williams’ Weaknesses

Just look at that picture above again – sure, he played for the Warriors, where defense was ignored, but his numbers are really bad, even within the team. This is a big concern.

Yeah, still defense. Bad enough to list twice.

Reggie Williams’ Forecast

Sign a contract, get hurt, undergo surgery. When Reggie gets back, he becomes the primary backup at the 2 and 3 spots.

20 to 25 minutes post injury? Guessing here, as it depends on how quickly he recovers and how out of shape he’s gotten in the ensuing layoff. Expect just under a point every two minutes Williams is on the court, and a 1 three per 20 minutes of action as well.

Spencer’s Thoughts

Before yesterday’s pre-season opener I asked Coach Silas about Reggie Williams and how he will help the team when he’s healthy. “His outside shooting is about one of the best I’ve seen,” stated Silas.

Williams will hopefully get many opportunities to spot up in the open court when he comes back and is just another piece that fits into the mold of Coach Silas up-tempo desired style of play. I also asked Coach Silas if playing in a run-and-gun system in college at VMI will help him be more valuable to this team. “Oh, no question. He can get up and down the court, spot up, and shoot and you got guys like Kemba and DJ that can really push it. If they don’t guard him (Williams) then we’re going to the hoop, if they guard going to hoop then he’s (Williams) going to be wide open so I think he’ll do very well with us,” Silas added about Williams and his potential in Charlotte.

Williams will certainly be a defensively liability on the floor, as he has his entire career, but to look at the glass half full, he’s never been coached to play defense. In college at VMI, they literally made it a point to play zero defense, even more so than his time with Golden State, so that’s saying something. This coaching staff in Charlotte certainly likes the idea of getting out and running, but they’ll stress defense and it’s safe to say Williams has plenty room to improve.

Overall, I love this signing for the Bobcats. They got him for cheap, he’s a pure shooter, and he’ll hopefully be a needle in the haystack type of player that can blossom these next two years in Charlotte. When he returns: 22 MPG, 10.5 PPG, 3 RPG.

Mathew’s Thoughts

I like the signing of Williams, as he will provide a serious threat beyond the 3-point arc.

However, much like Matt Carroll, he is an extremely weak defender. Look for Coach Silas to pair Williams in the lineup with Gerald Henderson, as defensively the Bobcats cannot afford to have Maggette and Williams on the court for many minutes together.